March
9, 2007
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| Joey Castro helped lead Passaic Valley back from a 2-point first quarter and a 16-point second half deficit and then through two overtimes before earning a 65-59 win over Colonia and a trip to Sunday Group 3 State final at Rutgers. | |
EAST ORANGE – Playing in close games is nothing new to Passaic Valley, in it has been a constant this entire season. The experienced Hornets have played in a whopping 19 games decided by six or less points going into Thursday night’s Group 3 semifinal against Colonia.
Through three quarters though, it looked as if the Hornets would never get that close and were playing their last game. But then the roller-coaster ride that has been their season took a few more twists and turns that led to a first overtime and then a second.
With its dream run through the state tournament on the verge of extinction, Passaic Valley looked to its two leaders for support, and they delivered.
Joey Castro came on strong in the fourth and kept rolling through both overtime periods, and his backcourt mate did the rest. Tyler Nash’s three-pointer early in the second overtime gave the Hornets the lead for good and the latest twist in the road will lead to Rutgers on Sunday for the Group 3 State final on the heels of a heart-pounding 65-59 double overtime victory.
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| Colonia's Joe LaSala tied the game on this putback just as the fourth quarter buzzer sounded. |
“I still can’t believe this is all happening, it really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Nash. “We really thought we would have a good season. But to be in the Group 3 state final is something I honestly never could have imagined before the season started. We never quit on ourselves or on each other and we just kept fighting every single possession.”
While the finish was thrilling for the Hornets, the start of the game was completely the opposite. Colonia, which won the North 2, Group 3 title with a double overtime win over Union Hill on Tuesday, came out on fire just as they did against the Hillers. Once again, it was their 6-8 shooting guard Kevin Edmonds who led the charge. He hit his first two shots and the Patriots built a 12-2 lead after the first quarter.
He maintained the hot hand in the second quarter when his steal and dunk bumped the lead to 14 points, 18-4. The Patriots took an 11-point lead into the locker room 23-12, and were up by as many as 16 early in the third quarter.
Despite trailing by 10 points going into the fourth quarter, the Hornets had two things going for them. Edmonds, who hit 6 of his 9 first-half shots, did not attempt a shot in third quarter. Also, speedy point guard Brandon Hall (who eventually fouled out in fourth quarter) was in foul trouble and was forced to the bench for long stretches.
The lead was 11 when the momentum began to swing in the favor of the Hornets. Nash, who was held in check through three quarters, hit a three-pointer from the wing and got fouled on the play. The senior hit the free-throw to cut the lead down to seven points with 6:10 to play, 31-24.
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| PV's Tyler Nash scored all 17 points after halftime, including the 3-pointer that gave his team the lead for good early in the second overtime. |
With Hall on the bench, Castro was able to get to the hole seemingly at will. Whether it was scoring on lay-ups, at the foul line, or finding open teammates for easy buckets, Castro did all of it effectively. However, his biggest play came on the defensive end when he took a charge with 2:02 to play and the score tied at 33.
On the ensuing possession, Nash got fouled and hit one of two free throws to give the Hornets their first lead of the game, 34-33 with 1:18 to go.
The lead grew to three points and, all of a sudden, the Patriots were facing the real possibility that they had just one last possession left in its season. In the waning seconds of regulation and after picking up a loose ball, Edmonds was fouled with 4.5 seconds left and went to the line for two free throws.
He hit the first free throw and then intentionally missed the second. Teammate Joe LaSala ripped down the rebound and laid it back in with less than a second remaining to tie the game at 39 and force overtime.
The battle carried over from regulation and into the first overtime. Colonia held a one-point lead before another Nash three-pointer pulled PV into the lead, 51-49, with nine seconds to play. Once again, the Patriots had their backs against the wall and it was Edmonds who responded. He hit an elbow jumper at the buzzer to knot the score and send the game into a second overtime period.
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| Colonia's Kevin Edmonds scored a game-high 28 points. |
“Having so many experiences kids, nothing really had to be said in the huddle,” said Passaic Valley head coach Rob Carcich. “We knew they were a good team and so were we. Whoever made more plays in the next four minutes was going to win. All we could go do is go out, play hard, and execute. We had a tough time doing that for most of the game, but we were able to get it done in the second overtime.”
The Patriots grabbed the lead on the first possession of the second extra session, but that lead would be their last. On the ensuing possession, Nash hit another three-pointer. It was his fifth triple and it gave the Hornets the lead for good, 56-55. Dan Alcala came off the bench to provide the knockout blow.
He scored four points in a 13-second span to make it a two-possession game. After Castro hit him underneath for a lay-up, Alcala sank two free throws to put PV up by five, 60-55. Colonia trimmed it down to three in the final minute, but never got any closer and Passaic Valley will play for its first-ever Group 3 state championship on Sunday against perennial state power Shawnee.
“Give them credit, they just wanted it more than we did,” said Colonia head coach Chris Chiera. “I thought we played hard, but they just made better decisions then we did. I thought we had a few chances to put them away and we should have. But they kept hustling and kept making big plays. Again, give them credit, those kids never quit and that’s why they are moving on.”
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| Jon Coral scored 10 points and had 6 rebounds for PV, which will play Shawnee on Sunday in the Group 3 State final. |
Castro finished with team-highs of 21 points, five assists, and three steals for Passaic Valley (21-8). Nash added 17 points, all of which came after halftime. Jon Coral chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds. Shane Leibedz gave the Hornets a lift off the bench with nine points, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Edmonds was the offensive catalyst for Colonia, whose season came to a close at 24-4. The senior hit 13 of his 17 shots from the floor and finished with game-highs of 28 points and four steals. J.J D’Amico, who also fouled out in the fourth quarter, finished with 12 points and LaSala added 10.
But for the Hornets, it was a long battle that was well worth it as they won the right to play another day.
“All we want is to keep going,” said Castro. “We’ve been waiting for four years to get this opportunity and run with it. We knew if we kept playing hard, that we would either find a way back in the game or feel good in the fact that we never gave up. We’ve been in so many close games over the years, and especially this year, that we are prepared for any situation. To go from where we came four years ago to being in the state final is amazing. Now we just have to go out and try to do it again on Sunday.”
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